


Drowning

by Howlingdawn



Series: Whumptober 2020 [15]
Category: Aquaman (2018), DC Extended Universe, Shazam! (2019)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27092716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Howlingdawn/pseuds/Howlingdawn
Summary: The world exploded in a flash of white.Just in time for him to crash into the waves.(Whumptober Day 18 - Panic Attacks, Phobias)
Relationships: Billy Batson & Arthur Curry
Series: Whumptober 2020 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949191
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Drowning

**Author's Note:**

> I WILL CONTINUE THIS. After Whumptober at some point. I've MISSED writing for Shazam, and I've been meaning to write something about Billy + water since the movie came out. And there WILL be comfort, but for now, enjoy the hurt :)

_Don’t screw up, don’t screw up, don’t screw up._

The mantra ran around and around Billy’s mind as he took to the skies, a cloud of sand puffing up in his wake. Beneath him, Aquaman took to the seas, chasing the wrinkled blue creatures, and Billy could just _hear_ Freddy yelling at him if he embarrassed their family when fighting alongside the Justice League member for the first time.

But the ocean was frothing below him, waves tearing at the rapidly disappearing beach, and he could feel Sivana’s fist pressing him beneath the water-

A shadow of movement caught his eye, and he shook his head sharply. _Snap out of it._

He swerved after his target, a white version of the creatures Aquaman was chasing, but with wings instead of gills.

_There’s only one. What can go wr-_

The thing burst out of a cloud, sinking its claws into his shoulders before he could even blink. Billy screamed, twisting around and flinging a fist into its face. It let out a deafening screech, enraged but unmoved, and lunged with snapping jaws for his face.

“Shazam!” Billy yelled.

The lightning crashed down, missing the creature by an inch. Its grip suddenly far too loose, Billy slipped from its grasp, his hoodie tearing as he dropped.

With another screech, it dove after him.

“Shaz-”

The creature lashed out, hooking its fingers around Billy’s arm and yanking him up, only to meet him with a fist to the gut. His yell cut off in a gasp, all his breath rushing out of his lungs.

He swore the thing was grinning when it let him go.

He grabbed for it desperately, trying to cling to the thing he had just been trying to escape, but it flared its wings out, coming to an abrupt halt and tearing free of his grip.

He plummeted towards the ocean.

_No. No no no no no-_

He flipped and tumbled through the air, trying to push the word out, just two little syllables. “Sh- Sh- Sha-”

_Come on, Billy. Come on!_

“Shazam!”

The world exploded in a flash of white.

Just in time for him to crash into the waves.

Any breath he’d regained vanished as his back slammed through the surface. The water swallowed him whole, dragging him down, down into inky blackness. He gasped on instinct, salty water scraping down his throat, burning his lungs. Blackness crowding into his vision, he thrashed, desperate for air, but bubbles churned around him, blinding him, disorienting him-

_Sivana held him down, his hands slipping on the broken ice, bubbles swirling around his face as he screamed again and again, desperate for escape-_

Something crashed into him. Blind, choking, drowning, hurting, he struggled, but even in his superhero form, he wasn’t strong enough, he couldn’t get free, he couldn’t breathe, he was going to die-

They broke through the surface, out of the water, landing on the beach. He latched onto the first hint of solid ground, shoving out of the thing’s grip, falling out of it more than escaping it, digging his fingers into the beautiful, _beautiful_ sand as he coughed and retched, sucking in air between spitting out water-

“Whoa, dude, dude! Calm down. You’re safe now.”

Through the panic, he vaguely recognized Aquaman’s voice, vaguely realized he hadn’t been grabbed by another of the creatures, but with the hint of clarity-

_I’m having a panic attack in front of Aquaman._

“Shazam? You ok?”

_I gotta get out of here._

He flinched from the hands that tried to steady him, scrambling to his feet and taking off again, flying blindly to literally anywhere but that beach.


End file.
